Reformation and nationalism

Sir —Your columnist, Mr Eoghan Harris, writes: “Finally, returning to the Reformation, the first thing to say is that it left little mark on Catholic Ireland” (Sunday Independent, November 5).

I find this bizarre, unless Mr Harris has an extremely narrow view of the Reformation. Ireland is littered with the ruins of monasteries. Many former Catholic church buildings are now in the possession of the Church of Ireland, a direct result of the Reformation. A significant number of Catholic priests and people were put to death, many others sent into slavery, which would probably not have happened without the Reformation. Many Catholics also lost their lands and possessions. Perhaps he feels that there was no link between the Reformation and the oppressor, but I find that hard to credit.

I suggest to him that the connection between nationalism in Ireland and the Catholic Church has been so potent, historically, because the Reformation was so anti the native Irish identity. So perhaps without the Reformation, there’d be no Sinn Fein. Isn’t that an interesting thought? Billy Fulton

Kiltegan, Co Wicklow